, 1887-09-25
MYSTERIOUS P0ISONS.
THE DEADLY RESULTS OF DEcoM-
POSITION IN ANIMAL TISSUES.

They OriGinats-ProbRbIlity That They
Frequently Cause Death.
Among the investigations and discover
les of modern science there is perhaps no
subject of more interest or far reaching
Importance, in a general as well as in a
medico-legal sense, than that of ptomaines,
or that series of newly discovered poisons
-cadaveric alkaloids-which are evolved
from the decomposition of animal tissue.
Francesca Selmi, of Boulogne, in 1880
who was perhaps the first to discover, or
at least to publish an intelligent account
of these p~oisons-applied to them the term
''ptomaine,' as indicating that they
were of cadaveric origin, t. O.,
putrescence of animal tissues. More re-
cent Investigations, however, seem to
prove that they may also be developed as
a result Of normal tissue change in the
living animal, or even from the dejecta or
eXcretions of the living organism. The
attention of the studious public has been
in the past few years attracted to this
subject with justi6able curiosity and in
terest. Thu reason for this is that the
ptomaines, at the am time that they are
such deadly p~oisons, are naturally devel-
oped in the cadaver or dead body, or in
any dead tissue in about forty-eight hours
after death, and further, that upon analy-
sis they give the same reactions as do the
most powerful alkaloidal vegetal poisons.
Since these facts became known they
have been eagerly seized upon and used
effectively by clever lawyers In the dc
Tense of their clients in murder trials both
in this country and England.
1t is impossible by any known chemical
processes TO definitely determine these
ptomaine p~oisons in medico-legal cases of
rnnfu.rnfnu fr. snpfnnnn ap thAr 1Irn -.
before stated, the same reactions of tests
as are given by the principal and most
powerful vegetal alkaloids. One can
readily imagine a case in point that might
arise at any time as a test medico-legal
case of murder or suspected murder by
poisoning and In which might be involved
the guilt or i~nnocense, the life or death of
the accused. For If after forty-eight
hours or whereabouts subsequent to death
we are able to evolve from the tissues or
organs Of the corpse a poison that will
answer to all the tests of the main vegetal
alkaloids, and which has been evolved in
the tissues of the natural results of de-
composition, we have surely lost our cri-
terion and the tests are of no avail. Con-
versely, 1t is patent to every one what u
wide field this leaves open for the hideous
work of the criminal p%oisoner, and the al
most certainty of his escape from justice.
The chemical characteristics of these
ptomaines SO far known are that they
occur generally amorphous in form and
alkaline in reaction, they are unstable and
volatile or easily alterable; that they form
crystalline salts with acids. When ex-
posed to the air and allowed to oxydize
from the basic form they emit very dis
agreeable cadaverous or putrescent odors;
but in their combination with acids form
ing salts their odOrs are generally changed,
resembling that of the orange, violet and
musk.
Upon the exhibition Of a poisonous dose
generally injected under the skin the fol-
lowing toxic symptoms rapidly ensue:
Dilation of the pupils, muscular relaxa-
ton and faccidity, with loss of muscular
contractility and cutaneous sensibility,
disturbance of the hearts action, paralysis
of the hinder or lower extremities and
commissions They possess much the same
poisonous action as muscarin and atropin.
They all have a strong power of reducing
potash ferrocyanide and answer to the
same color tests rs do the vegetable aka
loids, such as morphia, atropia, hyoscya-
mine, aconitine digitaline, etc.
These poisons are found under the fol-
lowing conditions:
First.-As constituents of normal juices
or tissues, they occur in human and ami
ma saliva, in snake poison, which ditferS
from human saliva only in the intensity
OF its strength and action, and in normal
rs well as abnormal urine Several of the
ptomaines have been obtained from these
three sources by different chemists, par
ticularly Gautier, of France.
Second.-They occur in constituents OF
the urine of patients suffering from pro
gressive paralysis, interstitial pneumonia,
abdominal typhus fever, in tetanus or
lockjaw and in military fever, as proven by
recent observation Of Selmi.
Third.-They are developed largely in
bodies or dead organic matter as n product
OF decomposition. These facts have been
abundantly corrooorated by different OBJ
servers.
The symptoms of irritation of stomach
and bowels, after reaching a toxic charac.
ter, resulting from the ingestion of bad
foods and meats, sausages, stale fish,
cream puffs and the Ike, are doubtless
due TO the generation of these poisons in
the favorable conditions for their develop,
ment found in the alimentary canal. The
ptomaine alkaloid called tyrotoxicon,
found in stale cream putfs, which has in
a number of cases in this city caused very
alarming symptoms and death, is devel-
oped from the decomposition of the casein
OF the cream or milk or butter used in
making the cream puff, and these doubt,
less coming in their turn from swin fed
cows.
These Investigations have opened up d
field for scientific research that annot fail
to have a marked effect upon the general
health of every civilized community. II
requires no great amount of p~erspicacity
to observe that our high figure OF mortal
ity, particularly among the children, In
the summer months may be, and undoubt'
eddy is, due to the development of n OIL
more of this series of ptomaine poisons in
the prepared foods and the milk supplied
to bottle fed infants, which may have CONT
from diseased and swill fed animals; tc
say nothing of the thousand and one
sources OF similar poisoning by stale or so
called prepared or potted meats, fish,
game, cheese, sausages and the like, and
in the pastries OF the character OF cream
puffs, etc, that endanger the life of ar
ndult.-Philadelphia Times.